Jim Cramer Blog

Buy Caterpillar (CAT), Jim Cramer said on CNBC's "Stop Trading!" segment Wednesday.
On news of an earthquake that has cost a great deal of damage and as many as 15,000 lives, Cramer spoke of the "rebuild in China," which he said was an equivalent of Hurricane Katrina in terms of infrastructure buildout. He pointed viewers to Caterpillar and Terex (TRX) as plays on the news. He also recommended Cummins (CMI). "They're all headed up ... because of the rebuild," he said.
Cramer said today's rally has a lot to do with bullish action from mortgage insurer Freddie Mac (FRE). "They have gotten rid of the systemic risk," he said. He called Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae (FNM) the "last of the black holes" for the financial crunch.
Cramer said Freddie is getting a lot of business, which he thinks may actually offset the company's losses. He said bears don't believe that's the case, but he pointed out that Freddie is a well-run company. Fannie is not as good, he said.
In the consumer discretionary space, Cramer said he had thought "the buyers would just call it quits" after the government's stimulus checks came in. He revised his forecast, saying maybe earnings from Kohl's (KSS) tomorrow will be the time to sell.
He expressed his surprise at the continued rise of some retailers. "Certainly we know that Costco (COST) is better than we thought. ... TJX (TJX) was a little disappointing, and look -- it goes up." He pointed out that Wal-Mart (WMT) stock has traded back to where it was before reporting earnings.
"A lot of people feel that the worst is over," Cramer said. He pointed out that the Fed called victory when inflation numbers came in better than expected.
Cramer also said that the year of wind power may arrive this year, not next year as he had previously predicted. He pointed out bullish action in Fluor (FLR) and First Solar (FSLR) as evidence of alternative energy stories.
He also said that Research In Motion (RIMM), Apple (AAPL) and MasterCard (MA) are offering leadership in the economy.
On the housing crisis, Cramer said that Toll Brothers (TOL) CEO Bob Toll was "negative negative negative" when the two spoke on last night's "Mad Money" TV show. He predicted that the housing problem in Florida would be much better in 18 months.

Published By TheStreet.com

Labels: AAPL, CAT, CMI, COST, FLR, FNM, FRE, FSLR, Jim Cramer, KSS, MA, RIMM, Stop Trading, TJX, TOL, TRX, WMT

Just so you know, I just issued an alert. ... You should buy it here," he said of the cosponsors of Vytorin, which made headlines today after the Food and Drug Administration said it would issue early communication on the drug. He's reminded of Bausch and Lomb, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) and other pharmaceutical companies that experienced exaggerated stock-price dives on bad news. Those situations, Cramer said, represented buying opportunities.
"The headline risk in drugs is also far worse," Cramer said. "This is what happens with drug stocks. Everyone panics at the same time. They get knocked all the way down."
"This is just unbelievable to me," Cramer added, saying that to cut shares of Schering-Plough so much, investors would have to believe the FDA was going to pull Vytorin.
Cramer continued, "I would buy Merck too. ... This is a classic headline overreaction."
Cramer concluded by saying he prefers Thornburg Mortgage (TMA) and Toll Brothers (TOL) to Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE). "I just think that they're not investible. ... I didn't like them ... yesterday."
Published By TheStreet.com

Labels: BMY, FNM, FRE, Jim Cramer, Stop Trading, TMA, TOL

Congressional leaders announced a deal with the White House Thursday on an economic stimulus package that would give most tax filers refunds of $600 to $1,200, and more if they have children.
More importantly, to address the mortgage crisis, the package also raises the limits on Federal Housing Administration loans and home mortgages that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can purchase to as high as $725,000 in high-cost areas. Those are considerable boosts over the current FHA limit of $362,000 and the $417,000 cap for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's loan purchases. This can be a major development in the recovery of the housing markets. It could be about that time to get into the housing stocks such as Toll Brothers or Centex.

Labels: economic stimulus, Fannie Mae, FNM, FRE, Freddie Mac, Tax deal, TOL, Toll Brothers Inc.

Amback (ABK), Wachovia (WB), Countrywide Financial (CFC), MGIC (MTG), Washington Mutual (WM), Fannie Mae (FNM), Freddie Mac (FRE), Pepsico (PEP), Colgate (CL), Procter and Gamble (PG), Diageo (DEO)
Cramer said the Fed's liquidity strategy is going to make banks suffer more and noted the bad performance of ABK, WB, CFC, MTG, WM, FNM and FRE. He said favorite defensive stocks PEP, CL, PG and DEO were thriving. Cramer called on the Fed to vacate its Ivory Tower and find out what is really going on in the market.
Apple (AAPL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Google (GOOG), Research in Motion (RIMM), Intel (INTC), Nvidia (NVDA), Texas Instruments (TXN), Sigma Designs (SIGM), AT &T (T)
Cramer commented if the Fed had cut half a point, there would be more stocks to recommend, but with a quarter point interest rate reduction, it looks like slim pickings, except for tech. His perennial favorites in the sector: AAPL, HPQ, GOOG, RIMM, INTC, NVDA, TXN are in great shape, Cramer said.
In addition, Cramer singled out Sigma Designs as a play on the decline of cable companies and as comparable services are provided by telephone companies. AT &T announced it is spending $5 billion on its U-verse TV service, and Sigma, which designs the chips for service, will benefit. Analysts raised their price targets after Sigma reported a fantastic quarter, and the company has a high quality problem of not making enough chips to meet demand. Cramer suggests letting SIGM come down a bit before buying.
Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: AAPL, ABK, CFC, CL, DEO, FNM, FRE, GOOG, HPQ, INTC, Jim Cramer, Mad Money, MTG, NVDA, PEP, PG, RIMM, TXN, WB, WM

Cramer expressed his disappointment at the Fed’s diminutive quarter-point rate cut, but resisted the rage he expressed towards Bernanke in August. "I'm no longer fiery. They had their chance. I wanted to do a wake-up call then, in August. ... That was when it still mattered," said Cramer adding Treasury Secretary Paulson’s job is now much more difficult."These guys are academics. They're very far removed. ... They obviously don't get it. They want to take whatever pain we have. ... I admire them for their lack of panic, but the time to have done something was back in August."Cramer said the recovery will be delayed and it will be less likely Freddie, Fannie, WaMu and USB will get the money they need. He suggested investors buy stocks not levered to the United States and ridiculed the Fed’s apparent optimism; "How did we get such a mediocre Fed? How did this come to be? These guys are very optimistic ... good for them. ... Anything can happen. You know, the tooth fairy."

Labels: FRE, Jim Cramer, Mac, Stop Trading

Fannie Mae (FNM), Freddie Mac (FRE), Washington Mutual (WM)
Cramer explained why aid for borrowers is not a moral hazard or a bailout:
“The companies that do mortgage servicing don't have the ability to renegotiate every one of these contracts," Cramer said. "It's better to do it en masse with the government's help so that the people who might fight this realize that they're fighting the government, but it's certainly no bailout." Cramer added, "We need to slow down the process because we don't want the bank examiners to shut down all the banks.”
He said it is a good strategy to tide Washington Mutual (WM) over with a few billion dollars until another Fed cut when it can start to be profitable again. He suggested spending $500 billion bailing out Fannie and Freddie, although Cramer added this kind of talk scares people. However, the only other alternative is if there is a sudden rush to buy houses.
Cramer reiterated his disillusionment of the Fed, which cut rates a half a point in the summer, and then felt it was “done.”
“Right now I think the Fed is torn between doing what would certainly be the right thing and doing the right thing incrementally over time," Cramer said. "What I'm saying is the more time you waste, the worse it gets. That's very clear from what's going on.”
Cramer said he wished it were the case that “if you were to put money in Washington Mutual in the big convertible that you don't expect to just lose money,"
Published By TheStreet.com

Labels: FNM, FRE, Jim Cramer, Wall Street Confidential, WM

Stocks plunged after the Federal Reserve cut a key interest rate by -25 basis points, leaving many on Wall Street wanting more. The Dow closed off -294 points on the day to end at 13,433. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq was down -67 points to close at 2,652, and the S&P was off -38 points to end the day at 1,478. Light, sweet crude prices traded higher with oil settling at $89.80 per barrel. Treasury prices climbed higher, while gold also gained to end at $817.10 an ounce. The dollar fell sharply versus the yen, but rose against the euro.
In economic news, the Federal Reserve voted to cut the Fed funds rate by -25 basis points to 4.25%. It is the third time the central bank has cut interest rate since September in an effort to protect the economy from a possible recession. The Fed also reduced its discount rate by -25 basis points to 4.75%.
On the earnings front, shares of FuelCell Energy (Nasdaq: FCEL - News) were up 16.2% in trading after it posted a narrowed fourth-quarter loss that beat Wall Street estimates. For the quarter, the company reported a loss of -$16.8 million, or -25 cents per share, versus a loss of -$25.1 million, or -47 cents per share, last year. Revenue for the quarter rose to $16.5 million, up 81% from $9.1 million in 2006. On average, analysts were predicting a loss of -27 cents per share on $13.1 million in revenue.
In a preliminary earnings report, H&R Block (NYSE: HRB - News) said it expects to post a huge second-quarter loss, with sizeable losses stemming from its beleaguered mortgage branch. For the period, the company said it expects to post a net loss of -$502.3 million, or -$1.55 per share, versus a loss of -$156.5 million, or -49 cents per share, in the prior year. The nation's largest tax preparer said it expects to post a loss from continuing operations of -$136.1 million, or -42 cents per share. Quarterly revenue rose to $434.6 million, up 10% from $396.1 million. Analysts were looking for a loss from continuing operations of -35 cents per share. The company is scheduled to post earnings late Monday. H&R Block's stock was off -3.3% in trading.
In corporate news, shares of Washington Mutual (NYSE: WM - News) tumbled -12.4% after the bank said it would slash its dividend and lay off more than 3,000 employees, as mortgage and credit concerns loom. The nation's largest savings and loan also said it is setting aside up to $1.6 billion for loan losses in the fourth quarter and would look to raise capital through a $2.5 billion convertible preferred stock offering.
Also today, Freddie Mac's (NYSE: FRE - News) Chief Executive Officer Richard Syron said the mortgage finance company expects to lose an additional -$5.5 to -$7.5 billion over the next few years, as the housing market continues to struggle. The company has already posted about -$4.5 billion in estimated losses through the first nine months of 2007. Shares of Freddie Mac were down -10.6% for the session.
Elsewhere, General Electric (NYSE: GE - News) reaffirmed its earnings-per-share guidance for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2007. The company said it expects Q4 earnings per share to grow between 14-18% to 67-69 cents per share. For the full year, GE said it expects earnings growth of 18-19% to $2.19-$2.21 a share. GE also announced it would raise its quarterly dividend by 11% to 31 cents per share, up from 28 cents per share. GE's stock was off -1.0% at the bell.
By the BullMarket.com Staff

Labels: FCEL, FRE, Freddie Mac, GE, HRB, WM

Fannie Mae (FNM), Freddie Mac (FRE)
While many criticize the government's strategy for dealing with the mortgage crisis and call it a "bailout," Cramer commented, "I'm tired of hearing that this is a bailout. Who cares? I'm about the money." While he believes a recovery is imminent and "there isn't going to be a collapse" he would stay away from companies with subprime exposure because there is a lot of money bet against them. Rather than spending time pointing fingers, Cramer thinks it is time to acknowledge the responsibility for the current crisis is shared by the market, the government and the homeowners; "I don't care who did bad. I don't want Fannie Mae (FNM) insolvent!"
Concerning Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Cramer said, "They're totally insolvent! Give me a break. They're completely and utterly insolvent. Its just we're not allowed to say it. ... The only reason I mention those two ... is that those two are less likely to go after me." He identified fear of liability as the reason more people are not telling the whole truth about the mortgage problem. "It's like when Enron filed a lawsuit against me. ... It's a good thing they went out of business."
"Everybody knows we've got to slow the process down so these companies can raise money. ... Fannie and Freddie are fine because they have the implicit backing."
Finally, Cramer wanted to clear up a misunderstanding concerning his comments about the Chinese. While he praised the initiative of individual Chinese, his antipathy is directed mainly against the Chinese government; "The government itself has got to reign in some of the companies that are rapacious in taking advantage of us."
Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: FNM, FRE, Jim Cramer, Stop Trading

Erin Burnett started the show discussing the Fed's new U.S economy survey with Diana Olick and Steve Liesman, both of CNBC. Diana says that the standards are tighter on consumer loans as well as residential. Stave adds that barriers have been created by the tighter credit and lending institutions. Mortgage delinquencies have drastically increased in the past quarter. The pace of homebuilding is low and is not expected to pick back up until, at best, well in to 2008. The DOW, Nasdaq and S&P have all shown improvements today. Bonds and Oil are down, stocks are at a high for the day; says Bob Pisani. Freddie Mac (FRE) and CITI Group are today's leaders in the financial sector. Exxon Mobil, Sunoco and Valero Energy are among the top five stocks in the energy sector. Next, Steve Burton of ING Global Real Estate Fund says we like companies with a conservative business model. Also mall stocks in Europe, Asia and the U.S. are considered good investments. Simon Property (SPG) is his top pick of the day. The next topic was Saudi Arabian oil reserves. Countless terror attack attempts have been foiled; by over 200 arrests being made on terror plot suspects. The attempt to infiltrate the infrastructure of Saudi reserves could be quite an issue, being that Saudi Arabia operates over one quarter of the reserves in the world. Next topic was the Chinese economy. Zachary Karabell of Fred Alger Management says there is no greater sign of investor panic in China, adding that their economy is an engine for growth. Shanghai Composite is seeing increases in the triple digits today. Very strong earnings growth is expected for any Chinese investments. Erin than talked about how private equity markets such as the Middle East are looking east for investments. They said they are trying to align themselves with interest allocaters to make some of these investments work. Colony Capital is currently one of the largest private equity investors. They currently have $26B in assets. They own office, hospitality, gaming, residential, and retail properties globally. Colony closed its largest acquisition this month by taking over Station Casinos for $8.8 B. Stop Trading with Jim Cramer was next. He says that he will be buying rather than selling within the financial sector.

Labels: Citigroup Inc., CNBC, Erin Burnett, EXXON MOBIL, FRE, ING, Jim Cramer, Jim Cramer's Stop Trading, SPG, Street Signs, street signs recap

All three major indices soared higher, as comments from a Fed official fueled speculation that the central bank would again slash a key interest rate. The Dow added 331 points on the day to close at 13,289. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq closed up 82 points to end the day at 2,663, and the S&P rose 2.9% for the day to end at 1,469. Light, sweet crude dropped sharply on an inventory report to settle at $90.62 a barrel. Treasury and gold prices both tumbled for the second-straight day, while the dollar gained against the euro but dipped versus the yen.
In economic news, the Commerce Department announced that orders for durable goods, like computers and refrigerators, fell -0.4% versus a revised drop of -1.4% in September. Analysts had expected durable good order to be unchanged. The drop has raised concerns about whether the dismal housing market is starting to creep into other areas of the economy. Elsewhere, Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Donald Kohn warned that continued market turmoil could halt economic growth, which Wall Street took as a sign that the Fed Reserve may once again look to cut interest rates in December.
On the earnings front, discount retailer Dollar Tree (Nasdaq: DLTR - News) posted an 11% increase in third-quarter profit helped by strong seasonal sales. For the quarter, the company reported net income of $35.9 million, or 38 cents per share, up from $32.5 million, or 32 cents per share, last year. Revenue in the quarter climbed to $997.8 million, up 10% from $910.4 million a year ago. On average, analysts were calling for earnings of 37 cents per share on $1.05 billion in revenue. Shares of Dollar Tree closed off -1.2% in trading.
Late yesterday, Pep Boys (NYSE: PBY - News) posted a wider third-quarter loss and announced that it cut 550 jobs and closed 31 of its stores as part of a restructuring plan. For the quarter, the company reported a loss of -$21.7 million, or -42 cents per share, versus a loss of -$10.7 million, or -20 cents per share, a year earlier. Quarterly revenue dropped to $534.4 million, down -3% from $550.8 million in 2006. Analysts were looking for revenue of $538.9 million. Pep Boy's stock was down -16.2% at the bell.
In other corporate news, shares of Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE - News) soared 14.3% despite announcing that it will halve its dividend and that it plans to sell $6 billion in preferred stock. The government-backed lender said the steps were being taken in order to boost finances in anticipation of future losses.
Bear Stearns (NYSE: BSC - News), meanwhile, announced today that it would cut 650 jobs, as the company continues to battle the effects of mortgage-related losses. The head-count reduction marks the third round of layoffs by the nation's fifth-largest investment bank. Shares of Bear Stearns traded up 4.3% for the day.
After yesterday's close, Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC - News) said that it would report a -$1.4 billion loss in the coming fourth quarter stemming from home equity loans. The bank said it expects the charge to "adequately cover all losses inherent in its portfolios." Wells Fargo also announced it would look to liquidate the riskiest of its $11.9 billion in home equity loans. The stock climbed 3.0% during the session.
By the BullMarket.com Staff

Labels: BSC, DLTR, FRE, PBY, WFC

Melissa Lee hosted today for Erin and started off Tuesday's show with an exclusive news break talking about stocks being down for the seventh time in nine sessions. Crude oil reached $98 for the first time, reaching a new high. They talked about Google and increasing their price target to $900 per share. Terry is looking for Google to mover in to powerful display advertising to gain market share, as advertising goes digital.
Samantha Davies came back talking about the bad weather approaching this week for the holiday season. Wednesday it will be very cold and rainy from the coast to the Great Lakes. On Thanksgiving it will be even colder in the Midwest and should expect many delays at several airports. Tim Zagat was on the show discussing the descent in airlines. He discussed specifically the increase in delays and cancellations. International airlines have fared much better than US domestic carriers. Midwest airlines and JetBlue airways have been the most successful economy carriers, because they are mostly business class airlines.
They came back discussing the drastic increases in oil and how the dollar weakness helps push crude oil to record closes.
The Bond Report: Santelli showed how 2-year note rates are still decreasing. He also said that the dollar index is decreasing very rapidly.
The Faber Report: Freddie Mac (FRE) has taken a large hit on their portfolio, especially today. Fannie Mae (FNM) has also taken a hit. Countrywide stock is below $10 a share and says that bankruptcy rumors are "absolutely false." 40% of their assets are in option arms. Fred Cannon has a $66 price target on FRE and $62 on FNM. He said that Fannie Mae gave us more of an insight to upcoming quarters. The government will eventually turn to GSE's.
Melissa came back with Paul Goodwin discussing the growing bear market in China. Many of the stocks are currently overvalued as well as very risk adverse. Aluminum China and E House China Holdings were two stocks that Goodwin said are taking your money and falling into downward trends. Predicts a rough three months for these stocks.
Lee came back discussing the value of the Canadian dollar and the Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays make about $740,000 for every .01 cent increase in the loon compared to the US dollar.
Bertha Coombs discussed Oprah's favorite things this year. She gave away a $3800 LG HDTV Refrigerator on her show among many other lavish gifts.

Labels: CHINA, CNBC, Crude Oil, Erin Burnett, FNM, FRE, GOOG, JetBlue Airways Corp., Melissa Lee, Midwest Air, oprah, Santelli, Street Signs, street signs recap, the bond report, the faber report

It was a rollercoaster ride on Wall Street, as stocks attempted to balance a solid Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ - News) earnings report with mortgage sector concerns and a report by the Fed predicting slowed economic growth in 2008. The Dow finished up 52 points on the day to close at 13,010. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq and S&P each posted small gains to finish at 2,597 and 1,440, respectively. Light, sweet crude surged in trading to close at $97.69 per barrel for December delivery. Treasury prices traded relatively flat, while gold prices gained on the day to close at $794.50 an ounce. The dollar hit a new low versus the euro, but gained against the yen.

On the economic front, the Federal Reserve revealed that it's cut its growth expectations for the U.S. economy for the coming year. According to newly released forecasts, the central bank now expects growth to slow to between 1.8%-2.5% in 2008, down sharply from previously unreleased estimates in June that had forecasted growth of 2.5%-2.75%.
In earnings news, shares of Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE - News) plunged -28.7% today after posting a net loss and announcing it would write down nearly -$8.1 billion in lending-related assets. For the third quarter, the mortgage company reported a loss of -$2.03 billion, or -$3.29 per share, compared with a loss of -$715 million, or -$1.17 per share, a year earlier. The firm said it has hired an adviser to help study capital-raising options and said it is considering slashing its dividend by -50%.
After the bell last night, Hewlett-Packard reported a fourth-quarter surge in net income to $2.16 billion, or 81 cents a share, up 28% from $1.69 billion, or 60 cents per share, last year. Excluding one-time items, the company posted a profit of 86 cents per share. Sales in the quarter jumped to $28.3 billion, up 15% from $24.6 billion a year earlier. Analysts, on average, had been looking for a profit of 82 cents per share on revenue of $27.4 billion. Shares of Hewlett-Packard traded up fractionally on the day.
Shares of Target (NYSE: TGT - News) were down -4.1% in trading as the discount retailer posted a drop in net earnings to $483 million, or 56 cents per share, down from $506 million, or 59 cents per share, a year ago. Quarterly revenue rose to $14.82 billion, up 9.3% from $13.57 billion in 2006. On average, analysts were looking for EPS of 62 cents on $14.8 billion in revenue. The company also said its board had authorized a new $10 billion share repurchase program. Subscribers can read our take on Target in today's edition.
Homebuilder D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI - News) reported a swing to a loss in the fourth quarter. For the period ended September 30th, the company posted a loss of -$50.1 million, or -16 cents per share, versus a profit of $277.7 million, or 88 cents per share, last year. Sales in the quarter fell to $3.12 billion, down -35% from $4.8 billion in 2006. Despite the loss, results still beat Wall Street estimates, as analysts had predicted a loss of -66 cents per share on sales of $2.9 billion. Shares of D.R. Horton closed up 2.5% on the day.

By the BullMarket.com Staff

Labels: DHI, DR Horton Inc., FRE, HPQ, TGT

Here are 7 options to watch for Today.
Most Underpriced Calls: These are the most under priced calls of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Explosion List finds groups of calls for individual equities that are under priced, this list finds the most under priced individual calls. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely under priced.
CME Group Oct 610 Calls (NYSE:CME - News). CME's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Most Underpriced Puts: These are the most under priced puts of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Explosion List finds groups of puts for individual equities that are under priced, this list finds the most under priced individual puts. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely under priced.
Johnson & Johnson Oct 65 Puts (NYSE:JNJ - News). JNJ's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Most Overpriced Calls: These are the most overpriced calls of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Implosion List finds groups of calls for individual equities that are overpriced, this list finds the most overpriced individual calls. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely overpriced.
Yahoo! Oct 25 Calls (NasdaqGS:YHOO - News). YHOO's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Most Overpriced Puts: These are the most overpriced puts of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Implosion List finds groups of puts for individual equities that are overpriced, this list finds the most overpriced individual puts. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely overpriced.
Google Oct 490 Puts (NasdaqGS:GOOG - News). GOOG's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Stocks with Abnormal Call Volume: These are stocks which showed unusual call option volume not easily explained by arbitrage operations. The appearance of a stock on the Call Volume Alerts list suggests a possible takeover, extraordinarily good earnings report, or other news which may favorably affect the stock.
Macy's (NYSE:M - News).
Stocks with Abnormal Put Volume: These are stocks which showed unusual put option volume not easily explained by arbitrage operations. The appearance of a stock on the Put Volume Alerts list suggests an extraordinarily negative earnings report, or other news which may negatively affect the stock.
None Today
Abnormal Put/Call $ Volume: These stocks have the highest dollar put volume in relation to their call volume. These high ratios are indicative of extreme bearish sentiment in the underlying stock.
Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE - News). FRE's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.

Labels: CME, FRE, GOOG, JNJ, M, stock options, YHOO

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Thursday from TradingMarkets.com:
Chico's FAS (NYSE:CHS - News) missed earnings on Wednesday afternoon, announcing $0.22 EPS versus an estimated $0.26 EPS. CHS's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Ciena (NasdaqGS:CIEN - News) announces earnings on Thursday morning, with analysts looking for $0.30 EPS. CIEN's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Del Monte (NYSE:DLM - News) reports earnings Thursday morning before the bell, so be watching for $0.01 EPS. DLM's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
When Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE - News) reports quarterly earnings on Thursday morning, anaylsts will be watching for $0.81 EPS. FRE's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Genesco (NYSE:GCO - News) reports tomorrow morning; watch for $0.30 EPS. GCO's PowerRating (for Traders) is 6.
Sears Holding (NasdaqGS:SHLD - News) and Tiffany (NYSE:TIF - News) both report on Thursday morning; SHLD expects $1.13 EPS, and TIF expects $0.35 EPS. SHLD's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5, and TIF's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
PowerRating (for Traders)s are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: CHS, CIEN, DLM, FRE, GCO, Hot Stocks, SHLD, TIF

By the BullMarket.com Staff
Traders seem to have come to grips with the higher 10-year bond yields as the Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 were all up on the day. The core producer price index (PPI) rose slightly for May (0.2%) after remaining flat in April. The core PPI removes food and energy costs to calculate inflation, and the belief is that with inflation in check, the Fed will not be moved to raise rates.
Ford (NYSE: F) announced that 27,000 hourly employees had accepted early retirement or buyout packages, allowing the troubled automaker to work to restructure its staff to be more in line with demand for its products. Approximately half of them are not eligible for retirement benefits, which will provide a savings in health insurance costs. Another 10,000 employees are eligible for one of these programs.
As reports continue to come in, detailing more and more subprime foreclosures, Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and Bear Sterns (NYSE: BS) announced second-quarter earnings. Both suffered hits, as Bear Sterns' profits dropped -10% excluding a writedown, and Goldman Sachs' climbed a paltry 1%. Bear shares rose slightly, while Goldman shares fell -3.4%. Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) reported results today as well, posting a loss. It lost -$211 million, or -46 cents a share, after showing a $2 billion profit last year. BullMarket.com subscribers can read more about Goldman Sachs' quarter in today's edition.
Del Monte Foods (NYSE: DLM) also released earnings today, with Q4 sales increasing 17.6% and full-year sales up 13.9%. Q4 profits, however, fell to $36.7 million, or 18 cents per share, from $57.9 million, or 29 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. Looking forward, the company expects fiscal 2008 EPS of between 70-74 cents and revenue growth of 5-7%. The stock rose 4.8%.
Midwest Airlines (Amex: MEH) shareholders elected a new board, appointing three directors who were nominated by AirTran Airlines (NYSE: AAI). AirTran has expressed an interest in acquiring Midwest Airlines, which until now had been resisted by the Midwest board. The board will now entertain a presentation by AirTran, but has not decided whether or not to enter into negotiations. AirTran is offering $15 per share for the regional carrier. The vote count is still preliminary and must be certified.

Labels: AAI, BS, DLM, F, FRE, GS, MEH